Sink in Sanibel: 'Crisis of leadership' in state

Democrat Alex Sink got a warm reception Saturday at Leadership Florida's annual meeting in Sanibel. The friendly greeting was expected: the CFO is a former chairman of the business networking group and was a member of its fourth class.

"I hear the word crisis over and over again," Sink told the crowd of about 200 people. "I hear economic crisis ... I hear oil spill crisis and I hear about the crisis of leadership in Tallahassee."

She summarized her three-point platform: revive the economy short-term, diversify the economy long-term and reform government in Tallahassee. She drew applause when she said Florida should be the national leader in solar and renewable energy, and called it "criminal" that there are 800,000 kids living in Florida who have no health insurance.

As governor, Sink said, she will make sure that there's no "inappropriate contact" between utility regulators at the Public Service Commission and utility companies (an issue that is not hers alone to determine, as the Legislature also holds sway over the PSC).

Sink bemoaned Florida's low per-capita spending in pre-kindergarten education and said she would seek greater research at the state's major universities. She will be followed Sunday by three other candidates for governor: Republicans Bill McCollum and Rick Scott and independent Lawton "Bud" Chiles.

Blog Search

About the blog

For Florida political news today, the Buzz is your can't-miss-it source. Tampa Bay Times writers offer the latest in Florida politics, the Florida Legislature and the Rick Scott administration. Keep in mind: This is a public forum sponsored and maintained by the Tampa Bay Times. When you post comments here, what you say becomes public and could appear in the newspaper. You are not engaging in private communication with candidates or Times staffers.